Restricting a Fan-Out Search in a Peer-To-Peer Network Based on Accessibility of Nodes

1. A method in a data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising: responsive to an originating node generating a search request for a fan-out search sending the search request to a set of peer nodes, wherein a respective peer node in the set of peer nodes forwards the search request to other peer nodes in the set of peer nodes; and receiving search results resulting from the search request, wherein the search results comprises an identification of whether a given peer node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node, and wherein the data corresponding to the search request is pulled from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peer-to-peer network is located in at least one of an Internet, an intranet, a wide area network, and a local network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: selectively pulling the data corresponding to the search from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: selectively allowing the data corresponding to the search request to be pushed to the data processing system from an inaccessible node identified in the search results.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inaccessible node is a node behind a firewall.

6. A data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the data processing system comprising a data processor coupled to a memory containing instructions that are operable to perform the following steps when executed by the data processor: sending the search request to a set of peer nodes in response to an originating node generating a search request for a fan out search, wherein a respective peer node in the set of peer nodes forwards the search request to other peer nodes in the set of peer nodes; and receiving search results resulting from the search request, wherein the search results comprises an identification of whether a given peer node containing data corresponding to the search request is an inaccessible node, and wherein the data corresponding to the search request is pulled from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

7. The data processing system of claim 6 , wherein the peer-to-peer network is located in at least one of an Internet, an intranet, a wide area network, and a local network.

8. The data processing system of claim 6 further comprising: selectively pulling the data corresponding to the search from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

9. The data processing system of claim 6 further comprising: selectively allowing the data corresponding to the search request to be pushed to the data processing system from an inaccessible node identified in the search results.

10. The data processing system of claim 6 , wherein the inaccessible node is a node behind a firewall.

11. A data processing system for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the data processing system comprising a data processor coupled to a memory containing instructions that are operable to perform the following steps when executed by the data processor: receiving a search request from an originating node; sending the search request to a set of peer nodes identified by the data processing system, wherein a respective peer node in the set of peer nodes forwards the search request to other peer nodes in the set of peer nodes; and receiving search results resulting from the search request from the set of nodes, wherein the search results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node, and wherein the data corresponding to the search request is pulled from accessible nodes identified in the search results.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable tangible storage device having program instructions stored thereon that are operable when executed by a data processor for processing search requests in a peer-to-peer network, the program instructions comprising: first instructions for receiving a search request from an originating node; second instructions for sending the search request to a set of peer nodes identified by a data processing system, wherein a respective peer node in the set of peer nodes forwards the search request to other peer nodes in the set of peer nodes; and third instructions for receiving search results resulting from the search request from the set of nodes, wherein the search results identify whether a node within the set of nodes is an inaccessible node, and wherein the data corresponding to the search request is pulled from accessible nodes identified in the search results.